We've had PodSnacks in which we've discussed ILECs, CLECs, and IXCs. But we've never talked about a very important player in the telecommunications market: the Multiple System Operator (MSO). Today we'll take the time to fill that gap. The MSO started as a television service provider: the cable company. But today they are much much more. Although they are often thought of as a CLEC, they are a CLEC with a twist. Usually, in any given area, they are the only CLEC that competes head to head with the ILEC using their own facilities: their HFC network. And they are rapidly becoming a telecommunications force to be reckoned with. Today, I'll tell you a little of what I know about the MSOs.

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